Display booth



' June 1, 1965 4 7 s. LAX v 3,186,781

7 DISPLAY Boom Filed Sept. 19, 1962 s Sheets-Sheet 1 i a I I '1 5O z i 1 ,I I4 I I I INVENTOR. l7 MICHAEL S. LAX

' ATTORN s June 1,1965 M. s. LAX 3,186,781

DISPLAY BOOTH Filed Sept. 19, 1962 r 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Y MICHAEL s. LAX

I v 1 My 1' ATTORN S June 1, 1965 s. X

DISPLAY BOOTH 3 Sheets-Sh et 3 Filed Sept. 19, 1962 FIGS) v INVENTOR. MICHAEL s. LAX

OtNEYS United States Patent Office Patented June 1, 1965 3,186,781 DISPLAY BOGTH Michael S. Lax, 1311 Madison Ave, New York, N.Y. Filed Sept. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 224,751 9 Claims. (Cl. 312-460) The present invention relates to a portable display booth.

In recent years there has been a considerable interest in trade shows. Often, in these trade shows, the partici pants such as manufacturers and vendors rent space in a building or other area. Shortly before the show opens each of these participants has a booth constructed for it to effectively display wares or services. Since most participants will show their wares or display their services at several shows during the course of a year it is common practice for such booths to be used several times at different shows. A number of problems have arisen in respect to the assembly, disassembly, use and transportation of such booths or materials for building them.

' These booths are quite expensive to manufacture and assemble. Because of the expense the participant is severely limited in the ability to vary the size, shape and content of the booth from show to show. Further in most instances considerable expense is encountered in assembling and disassembling booths for shipment to and from the show. In booths heretofore used considerable expense is also encountered in crating and shipping charges wherein individual components have to be carefully crated, packed and shipped and then reassembled at the situs of the show.

p The present invention is designed to overcome these problems and provide a portable display booth having certain unusual and advantageous features. The display booth of the present invention is an integral unit that may be constructed and assembled completely prior to shipping to the situs of the show. It is also capable of functioning as its own crate for shipping purposes and may be simply unfolded and set into position at the locus of the show. The construction of the present invention is susceptible to a wide variety of embodiments and permits a great deal of choice by the participant not only as to the specific type of booth which he may initially construct but also the manner in which it is used from show to show. In addition the booth of the present invention provides a rugged construction which is easily adapted to be secured for shipping and is adapted to be formed as a rugged integral unit capable of withstanding considerable abuse during shipping.

The present invention also provides an integral portable display booth which may be installed easily and quickly with a minimum amount of labor at the locus of the show. This booth may be unfolded from a crated position on the how within a few minutes into a display position, which can beadjusted in size and arrangement as it is un-, folded. Electrical and other connection if required can be made by a simple plug-in arrangement.-

The present invention provides a foldable multiple sectioned display booth having a plurality of hinged together sections. In the preferred embodiment four sections comprise a unit. These hinged sections each comprise an outer wall with integral base and top with the outer wall having a rectangular shape and with the sections each hinged together in series at adjacent edges of the rectangular shaped outer walls. The outer walls are adapted to be pivoted about their hinges to form a continuous substantially cylindrical shape with the bases and tops having portions adapted to abut adjacent portions to form a rigid enclosing polyhedric unit when the display booth is folded. In the preferred form of the invention the tops and bases are formed with triangular surfaces lying in planes normal to the outer walls of the sections and with the surfaces of the tops and bases having bounding edges including pairs of edges extending from the outer walls and adapted when folded to engage corresponding edges of adjacent surfaces and thereby form a continuous enclosing integral polyhedric shape.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the display booth shown folded;

FIG. 1a is top view of a preferred hinge detail and FIG. 1b shows an alternate embodiment of the hinge detail;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 partially opened;

FIG. 3 is a fully opened schematic view;

FIGS. 4-7 illustrate various folded arrangements possible with the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view of the underside of a section top; and

FIG. 9 is a view through line 99 of FIG. 2.

While the invention will be described in connection with a four section display booth having outer walls which are rectangular in shape, and top and bases which are triangular in shape, it should be understood that other configurations are also possible without departing from the principles herein disclosed. Y I

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 there is provided four sections 1, 2, 3 and 4. Each of these sections are preferably uniform both in size and shape. These sections each comprise an outer wall 5, a top 6 and base 7. Sections 1 and 2 are hinged together with common abutting vertical edges 8, sections 2 and 3 are hinged together along common abutting vertical edge 9 and sections 3 and 4 are hinged together along common abutting edges 10. These sections may be hinged together by any suitable hinging means, such for example as by conventional piano hinges 18 as shown in FIG. 1a. The hinges 18 may be concealed in walls 5 if desired as shown in FIG. lb. Preferably the piano hinges are reversed from their usual mounting so as to be in their normal full open position when the booth is closed.

The outer walls 5 are preferably solid'continuous integral walls having a sufficient thickness to function as a support for the top and encasing element for the display unit when packed. Thus for example, if the display stand were to have an overall height of 10 feet and extended length of 16 feet, each of the outer walls would have an approximate dimension of four feet by 10 feet. For such construction the outer wall may be formed of wood, plywood or other similar materials having a thickness of approximately a half to three-quarters of an inch. It may also be suitably reinforced by cross braces and longitudinally extending braces, and finished on its inner side by any material or medium suitable for that particular display purpose (not shown).

The outermost edges of the end outer walls of sections 1, 4 as indicated at 11 and 12 in FIG. 3, may be provided with suitable locking means schematically indicated at 14 for interengaging and securing the outer walls 5 in a closed position such as illustrated in FIG. 1. Such locking means may comprise a latch arrangement or the like.

The top 6 and base 7 inthe preferred embodiment have their upper surface and lower surface respectively lying in parallel planes which are normal to the planesof the outer walls 5. These surfaces in each sectionare triangular in shapewith the triangular shapes of the top and bottom similar and the side walls 16 of the top aligned with the side wall 17 of the bottom.

A preferred structure made preferably and primarily of plywood for the embodiments of FIGS. 1-7 is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Preferably, each section has a top 6 with a horizontal upper or roof board 33, affixed to the pref- 3 erably solid outer wallfS by'means of a square crosssectioned beam 37. The beam 37 lies within the right angle formed by the joint between board 33 and wall 5 and firmly supports these walls in engaging relationship. A conventional angle iron 35 extends between side edges of the. wall 5 onthe outer portion of the section and overlies ends of walls Sand board 33. Bolts 34'are countersunk in the angle iron 35 and extend at right angles to each other through beam 37. Preferably bolts 34 are spaced 6 inches'a'part along the width of each of members 5 and 33. The joint formed is extremely durable and the angle iron 35 protectsthe edges of the display booth during shipment and handling.

'A horizontal lower or ceiling board 36 is preferably provided spaced from the upper board 33 and afiixed at a right angle to wall 5 by means ofa bolt and beam ioint as above described. Preferably the space between boards 7 33 and 36 carries a fluorescent or incandescent filament bulb 31 diagrammatically shown in FIG. 9 attached to an outside socket 40 extending through board 33. The socket 49 may extend through the outer Wall 5 if desired.

A louver 31 is provided and inset into lower board 36 which in efiect forms a rim about the lower surface of the triangular top 6. The louver allows transmission of light to the display area of the display booth. In some modifications of the invention it is possible to interconnect lighting within each of the tops 6 so that only a single outlet may be employed, enabling electrical connection to the booth by a single supply line. i

Preferably the base of each section comprises an upper board or platform 38 and a lower. board or flooring 39 mounted in the same manner as boards 33 and 36 of the tops 6 above described. For purposes of illustration as shown in FIG. 9 the angle iron 'may be inset within boards 5 and 39 as shown, thereby forming a smooth, continuous outer surface for the display booth. Side walls 16 and 17 as above described join boards 33 and 36, 38 and 39 respectively to form the triangular sections.

In apreferred form a handle which may comprise a finger hole 19 shown in FIG. 3 is provided in one wall 17 of each section. This wall is hinged and latched in a conventional manner so as to allow the wall to swing open and closed, permitting access to the area between boards 38 and 39. This area may be advantageously employed as a storage area for supplies or displays.

A wide variety of arrangements of displaysare possible. For example, three-dimensional objects or displays may be placed on each of the platforms 38, on one or more walls 5, or may be mounted with portions on the platform of a first section and corresponding portions on a second base of a second platform. a

As shown in FIG. 2, a device 21 having separable sections 22 and 23 may be mounted with one section 22' secured to the inner-surface of one wall 5 and the other section 23 secured to an adjacent wall 5. When the two sections 1 and 2 are closed as illustrated the'se sections 22 and 23 mate together. shown in FIG. 3, devices or instruments may be selectively secured to the inner surfaces of walls 5, platforms 38 or ceiling boards 36. These displays may be arranged with considerable variations. For example, FIG. 2 illustrated two triangular sections arranged in facing relation, while FIG. 3 shows the sections in longitudinal alignment in a manner suitable for display against a wall. FIG. 4 shows an arrangement which might be useful as a display booth at the projecting corner of a room or where partially enclosed display cubicles are desired. FIGS. 5 and 6 show arrangements which are useful where space conservation is desired andin which some of the outer boards 5 act as partitions between adjacent display areas. In FIG. 7 a multi-sided display is shown having a central area 40 bounded by outer walls 5 arranged in rectangular relationship. This arrangementas well as the one of FIG.

6 may be used as island displays. In the arrangement of FIG. 7 a removable door may be provided in one or more Alternately, for example, as

outer walls 5 allowing a person to sit within thearea 40 and view the observers of the display. This feature is particularly desirable where a sales talk or promotional presentation of'any kind is tobe made by an individual in conjunction with the display booth.

While there has been shown and described particular embodiments of the invention many modifications and variations are possible. For example, the number of sections may vary considerably. Therefore, while four are shown it is possible to use any number of sections. In these cases it is only necessary to modify the triangular tops and bottom portions so that the completely enclosed booth is formed when the display booth is folded into its closed position. In some modifications of the invention the top and/ or bottom 6 and 7 respectively may comprise a single triangular board thus eliminating the storage area and lighting area.

It is evident that, those skilled in the art may now make numerous modifications ofand departures from the SW? cific embodiments described herein without departing from the inventive concepts. Consequently the breadth of this invention is to be construed as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A foldable, integral, 'multisection display booth having a plurality of hinged together sections carrying dis- P ys each of said sectionscomprising an outer wall having a substantially polygonal shape with outer vertical edges, said sections also each having an integral base and top, hinge means hinging adjacent outer walls together at adjacent vertical edges in series and with the end outer walls carrying joining means for joining said end outer walls together at their outermost edges to form a continuous enclosing outer shape,

said bases and tops'having polygonal outer substantially horizontal surfaces,

an internal shelf lying between each of said bases and tops with said shelves abutting one another when said booth is foldled to form said continuous outer shape,

said surfaces each having bounding edges comprising oneedge coincident and integral with an outer wall and a pair of outer edges extending from said outer walls on the same corresponding sides thereof,

said surfaces shaped and sized to form when folded with said outer walls a continuous, integral polyhedrical shape with said first-mentioned coincident edges forming bounding edges of said polyhedrical shape and with said last-mentioned outer edges extending inwardly of said polyhedrical shape,

said hinge means being. mounted for movement of said sections to an unfolded position with at least two of said outer walls lying inback-to-back relationship.

2. A foldable, integral, multisection display booth having a plurality of hinged together sections carrying displays, 7

each of said sections comprising an outer wall having a substantially polygonal shape with outer vertical edges, said sections also each having an integral base and top,

hinge means hinging adjacent outer walls together at adjacent vertical edges in series and with the end outer walls carrying joining means for joining said end outer walls together at their outermost edges to form a continuous enclosing outer shape, 7

said bases and tops having polygonal outer surfaces, vertical walls extending from and normal to said outer surfaces. with each of said vertical walls facing and abutting a second said vertical wall when said booth is folded to form said continuous outer shape,

said surfaces each having bounding edges comprising one edge coincident and integral with an' outer wall and a pair of outer edges extending from said outer walls on the same corresponding sides thereof, said surfaces shaped and sized to form when folded with said outer walls continuous, integral polyhedrical shapes with said first-mentioned coincident edges forming bounding edges of said polyhedrical shapes and with said last-mentioned outer edges extending inwardly of said continuous integral polyhedrical shape, said hinge means being mounted for movement of said sections to an unfolded position with at last two of said outer walls lying in back-to-back relationship. 3. A foldable, integral, multisection display booth having a plurality of hinged together sections carrying dis- P y each of said sections comprising an outer wall having a substantially polygonal shape with outer vertical edges, said sections also each having an integral base and top,

hinge means hinging adjacent outer walls together at adjacent vertical edges in series and with the end outer walls carrying joining means for joining said end outer walls together at their outermost edges to form a continuous enclosing outer shape,

said bases and tops defining polygonal outer substantially horizontal surfaces,

an internal shelf lying substantially parallel to and between each of said bases and tops of each section,

first facing vertical walls extending between each of said shelves and bases and second facing vertical walls provided by said tops,

said shelves and first facing vertical walls of each section dividing each section into a display area and a storage area,

said surfaces each having bounding edges comprising one edge coincident and integral with an outer wall and a pair of outer edges extending from said outer walls on the same corresponding sides thereof,

said surfaces shaped and sized to form when folded with said outer walls a continuous, integral polyhedrical shape with said first-mentioned coincident edges forming bounding edges of said polyhedrical shape and with said last-mentioned outer edges extending inwardly of said polyhedrical shape,

said hinge means being mounted for movement of said sections to an unfolded position with at least two of said outer walls lying in back-to-back relationship.

4. A foldable, integral, multisection display booth having a plurality of hinged together sections carrying dis- P y each of said sections comprising an outer rectangular wall defining outer vertical edges with an integral top and base,

each of said outer walls being hinged together by piano hinges at their adjacent vertical edges in series and with the end outer walls carrying means for joining said end outer walls together at their outermost edges to form a continuous enclosing outer polyhedric shape,

said bases and tops each defining triangular outer substantially horizontal surfaces formed by top and base boards extending at a right angle to said outer rectangular walls,

a beam lying within each right angle formed by each top board and bottom board with each outer wall and secured to its respective outer wall top board or base,

an internal shelf lying substantially parallel to and between each of said bases and tops of each section,

first facing vertical walls extending between each of said shelves and bases and second facing vertical walls provided by said tops with said vertical walls s all meeting at a central axis of said booth when said booth is closed, said shelves and first facing vertical walls of each section dividing each section into a display area and a storage area,

illumination means mounted on at least one of said tops and facing said display area.

5. A foldable, integral multisection display booth having a plurality of hinged together sections adapted to fold and unfold between a closed position and one of a plurality of open display positions comprising,

four sections arranged in series with each section having an outer rectangular Wall with upper and lower and vertical side edges, parallel top and bottom triangular shaped walls each integrally connected along one edge thereof respectively to said upper and lower edges,

hinge means interengaging adjacent ones of said vertical edges for pivoting said sections to and from a closed folded position in which said walls form a continuous outer covering and to and from an open position in which at least two of said sections are positioned with their respective outer walls in facing relation when said display is unfolded,

and means internal of said display and extending between at least two of said walls when said display booth is folded to form an internal structural supporting member.

6. A display booth in accordance with claim 5 wherein each of said sections comprise a vertical outer wall having a top board and bottom board afiixed at right angles thereto,

a beam lying adjacent and within the right angle formed by said top board and outer wall,

fastening means joining said beam to both said top board and outer wall thereby forming a firm joint.

7. A display booth in accordance with claim 5 wherein an illuminating means is contained within one of said tops for illuminating a display area provided in one of said sections,

said display area being positioned between said top and its corresponding base.

8. A display booth in accordance with claim 5 wherein a portion of a display article is mounted in a display area of one section and a mating display porting of an article is mounted in a display area of an adjacent section,

said display portions lying in side-by-side relationship upon unfolding said sections to form a full configuration of a display article.

9. A display booth as set forth in claim 5 wherein said means internal of said display case includes a plurality of members secured to different ones of said sections and adapted to abut and engage with each other when said booth is in its closed position to form an internal supporting member extending between at least two of said walls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 183,474 9/58 Wintersteen.

397,980 2/89 Griest 206-45.11 X

443,397 12/90 Mack.

786,719 4/05 Berolzheimer 211-69 1,523,639 1/25 Friedel 312-259 1,998,263 4/35 Townsend 312-329 X 2,602,252 7/52 Shinn 312-200 X 2,620,220 12/52 Gresham 312-201 2,647,640 8/53 Ellis 211-72 2,918,995 12/59 Kruger 217-31 X FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner. 

1. A FOLDABLE, INTERGRAL, MULTISECTION DISPLAY BOOTH HAVING A PLURALITY OF HINGED TOGETHER SECTION CARRYING DISPLAYS, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS COMPRISING AN OUTER WALL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY POLYGONAL SHAPE WITH OUTER VERTICAL EDGES, SAID SECTIONS ALSO EACH HAVING AN INTEGRAL BASE AND TOP, HINGE MEANS HINGING ADJACENT OUTER WALL TOGETHER AT ADJACENT VERTICAL EDGES IN SERIES AND WITH THE END OUTER WALLS CARRYING JOINING MEANS FOR JOINING SAID END OUTER WALLS TOGETHER AT THEIR OUTERMOST EDGES TO FORM A CONTINUOUS ENCLOSING OUTER SHAPE, SAID BASES AND TOPS HAVING POLYGONAL OUTER SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SURFACES, AN INTERNAL SHELF LYING BETWEEN EACH OF SAID BASES AND TOPS WITH SAID SHELVES ABUTTING ONE ANOTHER WHEN SAID BOOTH IS FOLDLED TO FORM SAID CONTINUOUS OUTER SHAPE, SAID SURFACES EACH HAVING BOUNDING EDGES COMPRISING ONE EDGE COINCIDENT AND INTEGRAL WITH AN OUTER WALL AND A PAIR OF OUTER EDGES EXTENDING FROM SAID OUTER WALLS ON THE SAME CORRESPONDING SIDES THEREOF, SAID SURFACES SHAPED AND SIZED TO FORM WHEN FOLDED WITH SAID OUTER WALLS A CONTINUOUS, INTEGRAL POLYHEDRICAL SHAPE WITH SAID FIRST-MENTIONED COINCIDENT EDGES FORMING BOUNDING EDGES OF SAID POLYHEDRICAL SHAPE AND WITH SAID LAST-MENTIONED OUTER EDGES EXTENDING INWARDLY OF SAID POLYHEDRICAL SHAPE, SAID HINGE MEANS BEING MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT OF SAID SECTIONS TO AN UNFOLDED POSITION WITH AT LEAST TWO OF SAID OUTER WALLS LYING IN BACK-TO-BACK RELATIONSHIP. 